On Tuesday, March 10, 2020 it was announced that one individual in McHenry County and one individual in Kane County tested positive for COVID-19 (aka The Coronavirus). On Wednesday, March 11, 2020 the superintendent of School District 300 released a statement announcing the closure of Dundee Crown High School and Perry Elementary School. The Algonquin Area Public Library District includes McHenry and Kane Counties along with some of School District 300. The virus has begun hitting close to home and many are beginning to become concerned.
Updated information from District 300 and the Illinois State Board of Education will be printed out & posted in the Community Information section of the Youth Department (on top of the bookshelf across from the fish tank). This information is all available online but just in case your Internet is down for the day, we are here for you.
The Youth Department has been disinfecting public computers with isopropyl alcohol above 70% for the past two weeks. We also have disinfecting wipes for patrons who wish to wipe down a table or surface. We have put up a couple more hand sanitizing stations throughout the library as well. Our storytime librarians have removed the soft, plush toys from the Baby Storytime toy collection. The Play Area toys are being disinfected more often than usual and the lovely Miss Jenni has even started cleaning the Play Area toys using a dishwasher. The Library’s janitorial staff have increased and added to their cleaning routine. The Library Administration team and the Library Board are monitoring the situation but as of now (now being 3/11/2020 at 4pm), we have no plans to close the Library or restrict any Library services. If there is any change, we will absolutely let you know.
Our best defense is to wash our hands and amp up those good hygiene practices, including social distancing. As previously stated, the Library is still open but if you do not want to visit the physical location, we have other options! Keep in mind that the Harnish building has a drive-up window. This window may be used to pick-up or return library materials and limits social interaction for those practicing social distancing. You may return materials from other libraries at this window too, it is not limited to Algonquin materials. Additionally, we have our online library of database resources and eBook or eAudiobook materials. The databases are not all for homework, research only resources either — checkout hoopla or Kanopy for movies, PressReader for magazines & newspapers, or creativebug for craft tutorials.
For anyone practicing social distancing, here is a map of our library district. The district does include small parts of towns other than Algonquin & Lake in the Hills, including multiple school districts other than District 300.
Stay safe, everyone! Wash those hands!